The gaps in health equity can inform where there’s a need for digital health technologies.

In this episode of the Straight Out of Health IT podcast, Chris interviews Tanisha D. Hill, Respiratory and Digital Health Medical Lead at Teva Pharmaceuticals, Senior US Medical Director, and Founder and President of the Digital Health for Equitable Health Alliance. At Teva, she has been at the forefront of the launch and FDA approval of what might be the first digital inhalers for asthma, an issue that, just like allergies, affects People of Color severely. In the midst of 2020’s COVID-19 peak of the pandemic and Atlanta’s disruption triggered by George Floyd’s murder, Tanisha felt inspired to do something that would positively impact her community; hence, she created the Digital Health for Equitable Health Alliance. This nonprofit membership organization brings together community-based medical institutions and organizations for the benefit of health equity through digital health.

At DHEH, Tanisha seeks to make a difference in the representation of People of Color within the healthcare industry. The DHEH governance wants People of Color to make decisions regarding what happens within the organization. In terms of action, the DHEH focuses on advocating for policies that will close the gap in health equity. With the help of a team of attorneys, they scan policies that impact care delivery and are open for public comment, where they can give their input as experts in the intersection of health equity and digital health.

The DHEH has grown significantly quickly and has already submitted several comments about public policies. The subjects they have given their opinion on so far are clinical trial diversity, the Pandemics Act, and the healthcare workforce. Regarding the latter, they believe digital health technologies not only support patients but also practicing providers and are tools that may help with the upcoming physician shortage. They’re working for more POC representation within the clinical workforce, which will also drive equitable treatment.

Tune in to learn more about the work the Digital Health for Equitable Health Alliance does for underserved communities from a policy perspective!

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